Sand-urn cleaning device



June 1, 1954 MANCHAN 2,679,935

SAND-URN CLEANING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25, 1950 LOUIS MANCHAN INVENTOR.

I BY

HIS AT RNEY.

and the 'of sand at its upper end to receive cigar and cig- Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAND-URN CLEANING DEVICE Louis Manchan, North Hollywood, Calif. Application August 25, 1950, Serial No. 181,461

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to a cleaning device for use in connection with sand-urns that are generally receptacles which are placed in offices, the lobbies, foyers and corridors of public buildings such as theatres, hotels and oflice buildings, like. The receptacle has a quantity arette butts, ashes, burnt matches and the like, as well as such other small litter that might otherwise be thrown on the floor.

Sand-urns are generally arranged as cylindrical vessels the upper end of which is filled with sand to a depth of several inches.

Heretofore, cleaning such sand-urns, which many times become very quickly cluttered up, especially when located in such places as at the elevators in hotel lobbies, office buildings, or in theatre foyers, has generally been done with a wire mesh paddle or similar hand tool, and is a somewhat laborious duty, and many times is very poorly discharged.

The general object of my invention is to provide a novel cleaning device in the form of a fitting by which the sand in sand-urns may be effectively and efficiently cleaned of practically all litter in a minimum of time and with very little eifort.

An object of my invention is to provide a novel device for cleaning sand-urns which is positioned or disposed in the sand of the urn but does not detract from the ornamental appearance thereof, but which is accessible for instant cleaning of the urn.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel cleaning device for sand-urns and which is practically concealed from View when positioned in the sand-urn ready for use, but which is instantly available for use, so that an usher or other attendant does not have to find disassociated and proper tools when it is desired to clean the sand-urn.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a novel device for instantly cleaning sand-urns and which is simple, inexpensive, and easily and quickly operable for efficient removal of debris and foreign substances from the sand of a sand-urn.

The invention comprises the parts and combination of parts more particularly hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detail description and the appended claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the in- 2 vention in a form I at present deem preferable.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a typical sand-urn fitted with a sand cleaning device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental side elevational view, partly in section and taken on irregular line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail bottom view of the sand cleaning device removed from the sand-urn.

Fig. i is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4, Fig. 3, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental sectional view analogous to Fig. 4 and showing a modified form of my invention.

In the drawings the numeral It indicates a sand-urn body which is formed as a cylindrical member of suitable diameter and usually about 18" in height from the floor to the top thereof. The upper end of the body IE is fitted with a sand container I2 formed as a vessel having an inwardly sloping wall He and a bottom I222. The container 12 is supported on the body H) by an outwardly projecting flange I 20 bent downwardly as at l2d to fit over and embrace the top of the body.

The container is filled with sand I l to a point approximately one inch from the top of the vessel and the sand cleaning device, generally indicated at it, is positioned within the sand Hi, but with its handles l8 projecting a slight distance above the surface of the sand.

The sand cleaning element or device I 5 preferably comprises a dished rim 20, the outer diameter of the rim being such as to engage with the inwardly sloping wall l2a of the sand container It and at a slight distance below the top surface of the sand l4 when the device It is in operative position and embedded in the sand. The upper edge of the cleaning device It is preferably strengthened by being rolled over as indicated at 20c, and the dished form of the rim 28 with its reinforced edge provides a rigid construction. The handles l8 may be soldered, spotwelded, brazed or otherwise secured to the rim 2!], and are preferably rolled at their free ends 13a to provide means for ease of engagement by the thumbs and forefingers of the attendant when removing or inserting the device it in the sand it.

The lower opening 20b of the rim is covered by a sieve formed of wire mesh 22 that is soldered or otherwise secured to the flange 200 that extends horizontally and inwardly from the lower edge of rim 20. The rim 2B and flange 20c are preferably provided with a plurality of holes itas shown in Fig. 3, and the holes fill in rim 29 may be omitted if desired.

The sand cleaning element It is provided with downwardly and obliquely extending vanes 24 which serve as auger teeth to facilitate entry of the sand cleaning element into the sand, as will later be explained.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings the vanes 24 are secured to a diametrically extending strip 25' arranged below the wire mesh 22 and is soldered, spot-welded, brazed or otherwise secured at each end to the horizontal flange 280 of the rim. The strip 29 is also preferably provided with a plurality of openings 26a.

In Fig. 5 the arrangement of the handles 30 and strip 28 to which the vanes 24 are secured is modified to the extent that the diametrically extending strip 23 and handles 30 are formed from a single length of strip metal.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a dish shaped member 16 having a perforate bottom B in the form of the wire mesh 22 and holes 59, auger means 24 extending from the bottom B and handle members is extending upwardly from the member 16, and which member 16 will be buried in the sand i4 and the handles 18 will extend above the sand 14 when the device is positioned for use.

In the use of my novel sand cleaning device 16, the vessel i2 of the sand-urn It is first filled with clean sand to within about one inch from the top of the sand container or vessel l2, and the sand cleaning device 16 is then laid with the wire mesh 22 on top of the sand. Th handles 18 or .39 are then engaged and the device 86 is pressed downwardly while moving the device back and forth with an oscillatory movement which will cause the vanes 24 to dig into the sand below the mesh 22 thus enabling the device It to be readily moved downwardly through the sand until the edge or rim 19a contacts with the sloping side of the sand container which will prevent further downward movement of the device, or such device IE may be buried a sufiicient distance and with the edge 26a spaced from wall it, but being in sufficient close proximity thereto so that the device 18 will screen foreign substances from the sand to be cleaned. It will be obvious that if the sand container 15 is formed with vertical walls, the sand clean-device could be worked u down into the sand a sufiicient distance below the surface of the sand as indicated by the extent to which the handles project abov the surface of the sand.

When the sand-urn has to be cleaned of cigarette or cigar butts or other litter it is only necessary to pull upwardly on the handles with a slight oscillatory movement of the cleaning device to allow sand to sift through the openings in the rim and strip and through the wire mesh, and the dish shaped cleaning device will retain all litter above the mesh 22 from which it may be easily emptied into a dust-pan, box or the like, after which it may be easily and quickly replaced as previously described.

While I have specifically described and illustrated specific embodiments of my invention it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be mad in the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Iclaim:

A sand-urn cleaning device comprising a rim member having a flange extending horizontally and inwardly from the lower edge of said rim member and having an opening; a perforate member secured to said flange and extending across said opening; a strip member secured to said flange and extending across said opening; vane members secured to said strip member and extending downwardly and obliquely therefrom to serve as an auger to facilitate entry of said device into sand; and handle means secured to said rim member at opposite sides thereof and projecting above the top of said rim member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 164,436 Eastman June 15, 1875 169,454 Lintner et a1. Nov. 2, 1875 198,518 Littlefield Dec. 25, 1877- 401548 Fredericks Apr. 16, 1889 798,841 Taylor Sept. 5, 1905 876,504 Tabler Jan. 14, 1908 1,421,25 Johnson June 27, 1922 1,456,791 Foster 1- May 29, 1923 1,738,556 Beagle Dec, 10, 1929 1,829,844 Altmayer Nov. 3, 1931 1,833,621 Segae Nov. 24, 1931 1,964,388 Simpson June 26, 1934 1,994,991 Gabriel et a1 Mar. 19, 1935 2,443,709 Pelle June 22, 1948 2,479,613 Gomez Aug. 23, 1949 2,592,676 Franklin Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 266,597 Sweden Apr. 17, 1950 

